Missing Bonds
by KymmaRaven
Summary: There had long been myths that there was an ultimate key to defeating Naraku. However, no one ever expected the answer to be rooted in Inuyasha's own family. In order to defeat his greatest enemy, Inuyasha will have to travel to one of Japan's most dangerous territories to locate the brother he's never met... and pray that his last remaining family will be willing to help him.


The day was warm and full of life. The summer sun shone brightly in the afternoon sky. The flowers in the forest were in full bloom, and all the animals were out and about. The birds sang while they flew around the treetops. The squirrels chattered as they scampered through the grass and up the trees, busy gathering food for their nests. The bugs, too, were out, filling the air with a constant buzzing sound. One such bug flew around on it's own, buzzing about near an old well. The well appeared to be centuries old and was covered in vines. The wood was faded and worn, and it creaked when a sudden weight rested against it. The bug flew nearer to the new occupant of the forest, buzzing near their head. A silver ear flicked, chasing the bug away.

Inuyasha sat leaning against the well with his eyes closed and his arms and legs crossed. He appeared completely relaxed, his breathing deep and slow, despite the clear frown on his face. The sunlight made his hair shine, a gentle breeze causing it and the plants to sway. Other than the sounds of nature, all was quiet in the woods. Then, suddenly, a bright blue light shone from the well and a young girl appeared inside of it. She was standing in the center of the well with a large yellow backpack on her shoulder. It appeared to be overstuffed and was clearly heavy. She held the handle of a pink bike that stood at her side. "'Bout fucking time you showed up, Kagome," Inuyasha said irritably, peering over his shoulder down into the well.

"Oh, hush up and help me with this, will you?" she replied, ignoring his attitude.

Inuyasha grumbled under his breath and jumped down into the well with her. He grabbed Kagome's pack and easily shouldered it before grabbing her around the waist and jumping out of the well. He let Kagome go and dropped the pack at their feet. He then jumped back into the well and grabbed the bike. When he jumped back out, it was standing on his shoulder. Without a word, he grabbed the pack again and set off toward Kaede's village nearby. Kagome quickly trotted up to him and fell into step with him. "What's with _you_?" she asked, looking into his face from where she walked at his side.

"You're late," he muttered grumpily.

" _Ugh_! You're seriously starting this _again_?" she exclaimed, stopping in her tracks. "I'm only late by an _hour_! I had to finish packing supplies! Supplies that we _need_!"

"By now, we could have already been leaving the village!" he yelled back, also stopping. "We lost precious time because of you! _Again_!" Kagome threw her hands up in anger and made an enraged sound before turning and stomping down the path to the village. Inuyasha glared after her for a moment before following her.

Kagomee took several deep breaths to calm herself before stepping into Kaede's hut. As she came in, she was met by a calm scene. Her friends sat with Kaede around the fire pit. A low flame was burning and Kaede was busy brewing tea above it in a kettle. Sango sat on her knees with a cup of steaming liquid in her hands. Kirara lay curled up next to her sound asleep and Miroku sat cross-legged next to the fire cat. He too held a cup of tea, though, unlike Sango, he seemed to be mostly finished with it. Shippo sat on the ground next to Kaede and was idly playing with his toys. "Hi guys," she said.

"Kagome!" Shippo exclaimed happily, leaping to his feet and rushing over to her. He leapt into her arms, and she hugged him tightly, squeezing him affectionately.

"Hi Kagome!" Sango said with a smile.

"Hello, Lady Kagome," Miroku said warmly with just a touch of formality, as per usual. "Did you have a good time?"

"Yup," Kagome replied, returning her friends' smiles as she sat down next to them.

"What all did you do?" Shippo asked curiously.

"Well, first I took a nice long bath and had dinner," Kagome began. "After that I studied for the rest night, since I had to take a test today."

"Did you pass?" Sango asked in concern.

"I almost didn't, but yes," Kagome replied with a sigh.

"Well that's good," Miroku replied.

"What did you do after that?" Shippo asked.

"I just got supplies, packed, and got ready to leave," Kagome replied with a shrug. "I didn't really do much of anything exciting."

"Where be Inuyasha, Child?" Kaede asked, looking up from the tea that she was still stirring.

"Oh, he'll be here in a minute," Kagome said nonchalantly. "By the way, what's got him in a mood? He was complaining about me being late, but I was only late by an hour, if even that. He's never been too upset at me for being late, so long as it's by no more than about an hour and a half."

"I don't know, but…" Sango began. She hesitated for a moment before continuing. "Kagome, I noticed something earlier today." The others gave her curious looks as she said this. "I didn't say anything before because I wanted you to be here to hear it as well."

"Go on," Miroku urged.

"I noticed it in her first," Sango said with a glance at Kirara, who remained asleep. "She got feisty at me out of nowhere, even tried to scratch me a few times. She, like Inuyasha, seems to be dreading something. It's like they're waiting for something bad to happen, and it's making them snappy."

"Demons _are_ more in tune with nature than we are," Miroku said thoughtfully.

"Then why don't _I_ sense anything?" Shippo asked from where he sat in Kagome's lap.

"Ye are young yet, Shippo. It's no surprise ye don't feel it," Kaede answered.

"We've seen this before… Remember?" Kagome said, glancing around at her friends. "This calm before the storm before Naraku attacks… It's made demons in other areas act this way too, remember?"

They nodded thoughtfully in response. At that moment, Inuyasha burst in, and all heads turned to face him. "It's Naraku! I smell him near the mountains!"

Immediately everyone leapt to their feet and rushed out the door. Sango and Miroku leapt on Kirara as she transformed and Shippo climbed onto Kagome's shoulder. Kagome grabbed her backpack and mounted on Inuyasha's back and they all took off, her flashy pink bike forgotten.

* * *

"We're almost there!" Inuyasha shouted over the wind as they raced through the trees up the side of the mountain that Naraku seemed to be on.

"Are you sure it's not another demon puppet?" Kagome asked as looking ahead of them.

"I don't know. But if it is, maybe it will lead us to the real thing!" Inuyasha replied. He sped up and the scenery around them turned into nothing more than a blur. Kagome loved the feeling; the feeling of being completely free. She wondered if this was what it felt like to fly. She shook those thoughts away and forced herself to focus on the impending battle. _'This could be it! This could be our chance! Today, we may finally destroy him…!'_ By the time they reached the mountain's peak, everyone's tensions were high and their patience worn thin. The time was at hand.

"Naraku! Show yourself!" Inuyasha bellowed. Slowly, a choking cloud of miasma began to fill the clearing they were in. Inuyasha shouted a warning and leapt above the trees, Kirara close behind. When the miasma settled, Naraku was standing in the center of the clearing. He had changed recently, turned into his final form. He was far more powerful and dangerous than ever, but something was missing… Something was preventing him from being perfect. _'The jewel,'_ Kagome thought with dread. He still needed half the jewel; the half that Kagome had hanging around her neck on a delicate chain. He needed it, and he was willing to do anything to get it. Naraku needed to be destroyed before that happened. The fate of the world depended on it.

Kagome climbed off Inuyasha's back and backed away from him. The fight was about to begin… Shippo joined her and clutched her shoulder with his tiny hands, looking on fearfully. Sango and Miroku dismounted from Kirara and the great cat quickly came over to Kagome and Shippo, clearly intent on guarding them. Sango pulled off her kimono, her slayer outfit already on underneath it. She grabbed Hiraikotsu. Miroku gave his staff an experimental twirl, looking deadly serious. Inuyasha unsheathed Tetsusaiga. "Naraku!" Inuyasha shouted. "Today you'll be destroyed! I'm taking back the jewel and putting an end to your miserable life!"

"How amusing," Naraku replied in his evil, silky voice. "You think you can defeat _me_?"

" _Die_!"

* * *

"Inuyasha, take it easy," Kagome said softly. "You're still hurt."

"Keh! I'm fine!" he retorted. "I'm a demon. I'll heal."

"I know that, but right now you're still hurt, so sit your ass down and rest!" Kagome snapped, temper still short after the events of that day. Stunned by her use of such language, something she rarely did, he sat down and stopped fighting.

After the battle with Naraku a few hours earlier, they had taken refuge with Sango and the others at the foot of the mountain. They battle hadn't gone well. While they hadn't technically _lost_ , they clearly hadn't _won_ either. Naraku, after trying to take the jewel from Kagome, had nearly been purified by Kagome's mostly dormant miko powers and had fled soon after. But not before wounding everyone in the group, minus Shippo. Miroku had sucked some Hell Wasps into his Wind Tunnel and had had a terrible fever. Kagome's medicine had mostly healed him however, and the fever had gone down for the most part. Sango was bumped and bruised all over from being flung off of Kirara's back but thankfully had no serious injuries. Inuyasha's chest had been torn open when Naraku's barrier sent his own Wind Scar flying back at him. Kirara's whole body was scraped up all over and she was limping slightly. Kagome ached all over from when she'd been sent flying after Naraku's near purification, and Naraku himself had given her a nasty cut on the cheek with on of his claws. But mostly, she was okay. Being demons, Inuyasha and Kirara would heal quickly, and with the help of the medicine, Miroku would be fully healed too. Sango would be in some minor pain for a while, but she would be okay in time. All in all, they would be alright.

Kagome stood and walked over to her backpack, leaving Inuyasha where he sat against a large oak tree. As she was digging around in it looking for something to make for dinner (she almost couldn't believe it was dark out already), she felt a small prick at her neck. Her hand automatically shot out and slapped her neck as though it were programmed to do so. She pulled her hand away, not at all surprised to see Myoga squished flat on her palm. "You really ought to stop doing that," she said. "There are better ways to say 'hello'."

"Yes, yes, that's all good and well, but I need to speak to Master Inuyasha right away!" Myoga replied, jumping to his feet.

"And yet, whose neck was he biting?" Shippo muttered from where he sat between Miroku and Sango in front of the fire.

As Myoga leapt over to Inuyasha, Miroku, who had been lying down, sat up. Once everyone seemed to be paying attention, Myoga spoke. "You fought with Naraku again today, didn't you?" he asked.

"Yeah. So?" Inuyasha replied.

"And you were unable to defeat once again?" Myoga asked.

"Hmph. We'll get him next time," Inuyasha muttered sullenly.

"But you _were_ unable to defeat him, correct?" Myoga pressed.

"Yes," Sango replied.

"If I may, why are you asking us this?" Miroku asked tiredly.

"Because I may have found the answer!" Myoga exclaimed. "The ultimate key to defeating Naraku!"

"Really?!" Kagome asked, smiling widely while her friends exchanged shocked looks.

"Yes! I can't believe I never thought of this before!" Myoga continued excitedly. "The answer was so obvious! So easy to see, and yet, no one ever guessed! It's been right in front of me the entire time!"

"What is it?" Kagome asked. "What's the answer?"

Instead of replying, Myoga, who was standing on the ground in front of Inuyasha, turned to face the hanyou. "Inuyasha, you're aware of the fact that M'lord, your father, had a wife before he met your mother?" he asked.

Inuyasha nodded. "Yeah, but what does that have to do with-"

"Are you aware of the _reason_ he met your mother and left his first wife?" Myoga interrupted.

"No, but what does-" Inuyasha tried to ask.

"Inuyasha, let him finish!" Kagome interrupted.

"It happened a long time ago," Myoga began, almost as though he were reciting an old fairy tale. "Centuries before you were born. Your father had just left for war with the East when his wife the Queen found out that she was pregnant. When he returned and found her heavy with child, your father was overjoyed. But, unbeknownst to anyone, she had begun to plot against her unborn child, devising ways to kill it before it was born. She tried many things, each attempt more violent than the last, but the child was powerful. It protected itself within her womb by erecting a barrier far more powerful than even Naraku's.

"Eventually, she gave up and decided to let the child be born. However, she continued to plot the child's demise. When the day finally came for the child to be born, the Queen was so full of hatred that she demanded that her servant, a young girl, kill the child immediately. The Queen labored for three days and three nights. Finally, at exactly midnight on the last night, a baby boy was born under the light of the full moon. The Queen refused to touch him and used her claws to wrap him in a simple white rag. She then passed the babe to her servant and ordered her to take him away and do the deed.

"However, the servant girl could not bring herself to kill the child. Instead, she hid him away someplace where the Queen would never find him and left to return to the castle. She told the Queen that the deed had been done. When the Queen heard this, she was filled with sadistic joy. However, she knew that her husband would soon find out what she had done and that she would be punished. She fled the castle, but not before permanently silencing her young servant. She was never seen again. Her son, however, survived, living in the place in which he was hidden…" He looked at Inuyasha seriously. "Do you know who that son is, Inuyasha?" The answer was obvious. It was so obvious, and yet they hardly dared to believe it… "He's your brother, Inuyasha."

The silence in the clearing was almost deafening. Everyone, especially Inuyasha, seemed to be in shock. "I… have a brother?" he asked slowly after a long moment. His voice was quiet, almost strained.

Myoga nodded. "You do. Well, half-brother, technically. He is centuries older than you and is far stronger than even your father. He is the key to defeating Naraku, the one person strong enough to defeat him."

"But strength alone isn't enough to defeat Naraku," Sango pointed out. "If it was, he'd be dead already."

"Indeed that is true, but he possesses more than just physical strength. He will be able to do it. And once Naraku is defeated, Kagome will be able to purify the jewel as she is meant to do."

"How do we know he'll help us?" Shippo asked.

"That is a valid point," Miroku agreed. "There is no guarantee that he will be willing to lend us aid."

"I think we should give it a try," Kagome said. "It may be our only chance. And if he really is Inuyasha's brother… I don't think he'll say no."

"I highly doubt he even knows I exist, Kagome," Inuyasha muttered.

"That may be true," Myoga said seriously. "And we have no way of knowing how friendly or not he is. However, I feel you must try."

"I agree," Kagome said. "What do you guys think?" She looked around at her friends, who all grew more serious as they thought it over.

"I believe it's worth a try," Miroku finally said.

"Me too," Sango said.

"It sounds like fun," Shippo said. "I'll go!"

All heads turned to Inuyasha, the only one who hadn't replied. He looked around at all of them, frowning deeply. "Keh," he said, looking away. "Fine."

Kagome smiled widely and turned back to Myoga. "Where do we have to go?" she asked.

"North. Very far north. To a place known to most youkai as The Northland Wilds," he answered. "It is said to be the coldest, and one of the most dangerous, places on Earth. The Wilds are made up mostly of forest and mountains. Everything beyond the mountain ridge cutting through the center of The Wilds is a mystery." Inuyasha frowned at the description, doing his best to commit everything he was hearing to memory as they continued to listen. "Everything is frozen there. Stories are told a thousand-year winter… A curse placed upon the land to punish a man who once lived there for his wicked deeds." They all exchanged curious looks, but Myoga didn't elaborate about the man or the curse. "There is no summer," he said quietly. "There is no fall. And there is never, ever spring."

Kagome's eyes widened. _No spring…? How is that even possible…?'_

"No one has ever come back alive from the forest," Myoga warned gravely. "You _must_ be careful."

"But… what about that servant girl from the story?" Shippo asked.

"She is the one exception," Myoga said. "The only one who has ever escaped that place."

"So how do we know that Inuyasha's brother is alive?" Kagome asked.

Before Myoga had a chance to answer, a deafening explosion sounded barely a hundred feet away from their campsite. "Gotta go!" Myoga said, trying to bounce away.

Inuyasha's hand shot out and he grabbed Myoga before he could get far. "What's his name?" he asked quickly. "How will we know if we've found him?"

"His name is Sesshomaru," Myoga said quietly. "And you will know him when you see him." At this, he wriggled free and disappeared into the woods.

"Quick! Get everything packed!" Inuyasha ordered. "We gotta move!"

The second they had everything packed, they took off into the darkness, running away from whatever had caused the explosion. They managed to go a few miles before Inuyasha couldn't run anymore because of his injuries. They made camp again, ready to get some rest. They had a long journey ahead of them.

* * *

 **Sorry that this fairly sucks. It's an old fic (really old) that I started back when I first joined this site some time ago. I figured I'd give posting it a shot. About 3,894 words. Posted 07-13-15.**


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